Taking your Pinterest, Etsy, and Instructable ideas and giving you the low down on the cost, the time, and the skills it takes to make these at home!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Turn your shampoo bottle into a caddy!

Have you ever walked out of your home forgetting something like your wallet or your keys? Have you tried to have a designated bowl by the door so you don't forget these things, but then end up with a bowl that contains random things like gum, baseballs, or markers? That's the problem we have at our place. So when I saw this post by ProjectSunlight (after seeing it on the Today show), I figured I'd give it a try! If you want to reuse and make your own caddy, here's what you'll need:

1. An empty bottle (you could use a shampoo or body wash bottle but the flatter and taller, the better!)

Start by taking off the top of the bottle. This will be a little tricky, I'll be honest. I drew a line where I wanted to make the cut, however scissors just didn't do it. I had to use a large kitchen knife and saw at it like a piece of wood. Once you cut through the front of the bottle, the sides and back of the bottle will be a piece o' cake.

Next, draw a square on the back of the bottle about 1-2" from the top. Keep in mind you can always make the square bigger but not smaller. If you have doorknobs, you'll need a wide square.

Once you're done drawing your square, draw lines halfway down the side of the bottle (you can put your phone or wallet up against and see how much space from the bottom to give). Draw a line across the front of the bottle (it helps to remove any labeling you might have).

Just like before, take your scissors or knife and cut out the square and the lines.

Use sandpaper to smooth out the bottle, so you don't have stray pieces of plastic sticking out.

Now you're free to decorate however you want. I tried putting on fabric but it didn't look good at all. It's such an awkward shape, I just couldn't get the fabric to fit on the bottle so I opted for permanent marker instead.

Put it in your kitchen, by your front door, your bathroom, wherever you want, and enjoying using your new/reusable caddy!

TOTAL COSTS: Free!

Shampoo bottle, scissors, knife, sandpaper, and markers all on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 30 minutes

20 minutes to draw, cut, and sand the bottle

10 minutes to decorate

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 3 out of 5

The hardest parts would be cutting off the top of the bottle and making sure the hole was big enough for your doorknob. I had to make quite a few adjustments before I was able to slip it on. Other than that, this would be a great project for kids to help with, as they learn how to reuse items and can decorate the caddy to their hearts content!